Do cases contain headnotes on Loislaw?
Loislaw reproduces headnotes in jurisdictions where they are supplied by the court and appear as part of the decision. In many jurisdictions, headnotes are added by an official publisher and are not considered part of the decision. Headnotes supplied by an official publisher are typically included in advance sheets and are considered special enhancements under copyright by the publisher. In these jurisdictions, Loislaw may not reproduce headnotes. Many legal professionals are familiar with headnotes, annotations, key numbers, and other ‘finding aids’ typically associated with print-based editorial enhancement of the law. In many instances, Loislaw’s search and retrieval software replaces print-based editorial enhancements by making the law searchable, interlinked, and highly navigable. For example, when compiling a results list, Loislaw’s search engine returns brief textual excerpts with each hit in a case law database. In some instances, the excerpt contains an official headnote publi
